The state of the art of waveguide gas lasers is well represented and alleviated to some degree by the prior art apparatus and approaches which are contained in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,015 issued to Buczek on July 17, 1973; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,439 issued to Fletcher et al on Feb. 17, 1976; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,398 issued to Chenausky et al on 31 January 31, 1984; and PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,554 issued to Schlossberg on Jan. 4, 1983.
The Buczek patent discloses a gas laser rectangular waveguide having electric discharge plasma with the electric field oriented transversely with respect to the flow of gases therethrough is provided with a graduated magnetic field which is oriented transversely with respect to both the flow and the electric field to overcome the forces of flowing gases thereon. The plasma stabilizes at a point where the magnetic field force equals the force of the gas flow.
The Fletcher et al patent relates to a laser waveguide wherein corrugations or ridges are incorporated transverse to the length of the rectangular waveguide for amplifying the waves travelling through in the diffused regions.
The Chenausky et al patent discloses an RF-discharge waveguide laser incorporating two or more waveguides sharing a common set of discharge electrodes. The device may be used to provide two lasers operating on the same or different frequencies, or a single laser with two waveguides contributing to the power output.
The Schlossberg patent discloses a high pressure, high power, compact laser fabricated from a block of material which is highly transparent at the wavelength of operation. The transmitting block contains a multiplicity of channels along the longitudinal axes thereof, each channel being of such a minute cross-section that a laser medium located within each channel is incapable of independently sustaining a lasing action in a waveguide mode of operation.